


Union

by deedreamer



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-11-26 01:54:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20922233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deedreamer/pseuds/deedreamer
Summary: Shidduch. A union.(shid·duch)A system of matchmaking in which Jewish singles are introduced to one another in Orthodox Jewish communities for the purpose of marriage.In this fictional case based on other arranged marriage customs around the world, the bride and groom do not meet until their wedding ceremony.Thank you to @jeenonamit for the beta read <3





	Union

**Author's Note:**

> They say a picture is worth a thousand words. 
> 
> Thank you to @reylo_prompts for their amazing creativity and service to the writers in our fandom. This prompt challenge is near and dear. xo #reyloworth1000words

The camera flashes, engulfing the shul’s dim basement classroom in bright light. The contrast leaves Rey nearly blind. Her hands, one finger newly adorned with a simple gold band, rest in her lap. The knuckle of her right thumb tucks inside her left palm, safe and protected. 

Rey reckons she’s supposed to feel that way herself. After all, she’s a married woman now. 

The man who just became her husband stands to the right of the stool on which she’s perched. His looming presence is a cloud passing over a summer sky; there’s a darkness about him beyond the head-to-toe black he’s wearing. Like a shadow, his cool, aloof energy brings a shady respite that’s surprisingly welcome. 

She blinks rapidly, chasing away the spots dancing behind her eyes from the flash. The photographer glances at her, then up to the man beside her. She’s sitting while he stands; he seems to be two feet taller than she is. 

“Well, then,” the man begins, snapping on the camera lens with a knowing smile, “I guess you should go and make this whole thing official, huh?”

Rey feels her cheeks flush. “I’m pretty sure it’s already official,” she states. “The ketubah’s been signed and witnessed, and consummation hasn’t been required for ages—“

“Pardon my uncle’s inappropriate sense of humor, Reza, but I do believe yichud is in order.”

His voice, when he speaks — her _ husband’s _ voice — is so deep, Rey feels tiny vibrations travel down the column of her neck, disappearing somewhere beneath the high collar of her cream jacquard dress. 

“Oh. Y-yes, of course,” she manages, despite the way her skin tingles like peppermint on the tongue. 

With a gleam in his eye, the man packs his camera in its case. “I’ll leave you to it.” They’re alone for a few moments as Jewish tradition calls for, at least symbolically.

The classroom door slipping shut with a quiet snick is the last sound Rey hears before an interminable silence fills the room like smoke in a glass candle jar. Luke’s leaving snuffed the wick and now there’s no stopping the inevitable awkwardness that looms heavily between her and the man hovering uncomfortably beside her. 

Finally, her husband’s deep timbre breaks through the fog. “You must be incredibly disappointed. I… I’m sorry.”

Rey’s brows furrow. She spins a few degrees on her stool, glancing up at him. “Disappointed?”

“Clearly,” he replies, his tone curt. He steps away, chin tucking to his chest as he stares at his polished black shoes. His long fingers slip to the hem of his black sweater gracing his hip. Rey watches him absentmindedly twine the tzitzit of his tallit katan. 

She’s so confused. 

He seems… sad. Or ashamed. But _ not _ confused. Not like her. She swallows down the lump forming in her throat, trying to steady her voice. “Are you disappointed? Is that why you’re upset?”

His head snaps back like he’s been punched in the chin. His eyes are dark and surprised when they meet her gaze. “Me?” He asks, incredulous. “How could I be disappointed in the match the shadchan made?” He pauses, his eyes beseeching. “How could I possibly be disappointed to discover _ this face _ beneath your veil?”

“I’m… not disappointed,” Rey admits, shaking her head. “Not in your face. Not in you.”

Very slowly, his eyes lift to meet hers. He’s a giant of a man but in this moment he looks merely a boy, deep pools peeking through a thick fan of dark lashes. “You’re not?” His voice breaks on the last syllable, nearly breaking Rey’s heart. 

She shakes her head. “No.”

“But you seem… sad. Are you sad, Reza?”

“Why do you call me that?”

He blinks, a small smile tugging at his full lips. The whiskers that make up his goatee twitch and it lightens Rey’s heavy heart. “It’s Arabic. It means ‘contentment.’ When I saw you, when I saw that _ you _ were my beloved, I was… I _ am _… utterly content. It seemed fitting since one of the few things I knew about you was your given name.”

“I, too, knew _ your _ name, that you were a recently tenured linguistics professor at the University, and your age.” Rey’s red-painted lips lift into a smile. “She might have also mentioned you were quite tall. It may have been the final characteristic that urged me to accept this match.”

He laughs. It’s quiet and shy, but a laugh all the same. The sound makes Rey feel like she’s flying. 

“I knew you were an aeronautical engineer and had your pilot’s license.” His smile softens as his eyes grow damp. “It reminded me of my father. Somehow I had this feeling my dad approved.” He shrugs one massive shoulder. “So I agreed. Thankfully.”

Rey smiles. Standing, she angles her body to face him. When she reaches her full height, even with the modest heel of her relatively flat shoes, her crown barely reaches his chest. He takes a half step closer and she’s immediately enveloped in him: his cool and aloof presence, his steadfast gaze. 

She rather likes the feeling, the safe shroud in which she’s found herself. 

Tentatively, she reaches for him. His eyes follow the movement as he slowly lifts his hand to meet hers. Their fingertips touch; they inhale simultaneously, diaphragms quivering with the sudden intake of breath. His large hand cradles her strong yet delicate fingers. 

“May I kiss the bride?” he asks, a smile lurking on his lips. 

Rey nods. “Yes.”

He closes the distance until his lips, soft and warm, brush against hers. His breath on her face is a tender whisper of what they could become. 

Rey smiles, bewildered by the day’s momentous events, by her unexpected agreement to an arranged marriage in this modern age, by her sheer luck at the way this man makes her feel _ everything _with only a look. 

“I think we’ve made a good match,” Rey says. She squeezes his hand and, for the first time, speaks her husband’s name. “Ben.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! SHALOM xo
> 
> Shul - the yiddish word for synagogue, a Jewish house of worship
> 
> Ketubah - literally translates in Hebrew as "written." Refers to the traditional Jewish marriage contract, which outlines the bride and groom's responsibility to each other. Jewish couples often hang their ketubot (plural) in a place of honor in their home to remind them of their vows. Mine is a beautiful gold-foiled design featuring the Song of Solomon, hanging in my entry way. 
> 
> Yichud - the custom of the bride and groom having a period of time alone immediately following the marriage ceremony. In Orthodox Judaism, it is prohibited for an unmarried man and woman to be alone, so this act symbolizes their new status as husband and wife.
> 
> Shadchan - a Jewish professional matchmaker.
> 
> Tallit Katan - literally translates to "small tallit;" refers to a garment that can be worn over or under clothing to represent a prayer shawl. Sometimes referred to as "tzitzit."
> 
> Tzitzit - the twined and knotted fringes attached to the four corners of a garment, as in a tallit.


End file.
